Canadians from Alberta and Saskatchewan are the least satisfied with Canada’s current course according to the Angus Reid Institute.
According to the poll, 71% of Albertans reported being dissatisfied with the direction the country is currently heading, while 61% of Saskatchewan residents felt the same way.
At a national level, 39% of Canadians reported being unhappy with the current course, while 61% expressed satisfaction.
The province which reported the highest level of satisfaction was Quebec which polled at 76%, followed by the Atlantic provinces with 67%.
“A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a national average of six-in-ten Canadians satisfied with the way things are going in Canada today. But most of these people are concentrated in Quebec, Ontario, Atlantic Canada and, to a lesser extent, British Columbia,” wrote a statement by the Angus Reid Institute.
Hit by an economic downturn, mainly driven by a decline in oil prices and a lack of ability to get their energy resources to international markets, Albertans have been expressing feelings of alienation from the rest of Canada and discontent with the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau.
Another poll found that 31% of Albertans share the belief that their province would be better off independent from the rest of Canada, surpassing the 26% of people in Quebec who believed the same about their own province.
Albertans are also the most financially insecure people in all of Canada, with 38% of people reporting that they are cutting down on essential spending.
Premier Jason Kenney has called on the federal government to revisit and discuss equalization payments which he claims are biased against Alberta and its economic prosperity.
Kenney met with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland early in January where he discussed the issue and called for the repeal of bills C-69 and C-48.
